


The Case of the Missing Angel

by Meiilan



Series: Big Brother Gabriel [4]
Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Aziraphale is BAMF, Crowley is really having enough of Aziraphale's extended family, M/M, and a cliffhanger, but not in the way you think, gosh I'm bad at this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-10 21:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20534957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meiilan/pseuds/Meiilan
Summary: The long awaited conclusion, that turned out to be not the final conclusion of this series: Gabriel has gone missing. Michael is a nail biter. Aziraphale takes matters in hand. Pain is being felt, but it will work out in the end. Mostly.





	The Case of the Missing Angel

Despite the proverbial passion of their fiery element, Michael was always perfectly composed. Even in the most stressful or hectic situations, they were known to keep a cool head and make quick and efficient decisions. Never would one catch them acting out, or getting emotional. They were more like a hot, blue flame, perfectly straight and focused, still efficient and terrifying in their destructive force, but never burning out of control. Their immaculate self-control was something Uriel had always admired about them, especially since it was something she considered herself severely lacking at. Uriel could never reign in her anger as easily as Michael, was more prone to making impulsive decisions, rather than thinking things through calmly first. In fact her self-control was so bad, Gabriel had to reprimand her for it on more than one occasion, kindly but firmly reminding her that it just won’t do for a heavenly agent to lash out at every perceived offend, without offering a chance for forgiveness first. It got so bad that in the end Gabriel actually advised her to pull back from directly interacting with humans alltogether.

Uriel was sure that Michael had never had to be given such an advice. Not Michael, not the one archangel who’s self-control was legendary.

Knowing about Michael’s absolutely impeccable self-control, Uriel couldn’t help the growing feeling of dread she experienced, as she was watching them bite their nails while pacing in her office like a caged tiger. They would stop whenever there was the sound of feet coming from outside the office, watching the door like a hawk about to strike, only to huff annoyed and resume pacing when the feet would be walking away. When finally Raphael entered the office, he was instantly crowded into a shelf by the shorter archangel.

“Well?”, they asked, “have you found him?”

Raphael, with his hands instinctively held up in defense, shook his head and Michael visibly deflated.

“Maybe we should get more agents on it”, Uriel offered, hoping to distract Michael from whatever thoughts were riling them up so much, “To cover more ground, you know?”

“No”, Michael replied firmly, “If word makes round that he’s gone missing, this place would be in chaos. People here rely on him.”

“Well, maybe not agents from here then”, Raphael chimed in thoughtfully.

Michael looked at him inquisitive for a moment, before realization dawned on their face. With a determined expression they turned to Uriel.

“Get Sandalphon. We need to meet our contacts on earth.”

Uriel looked confused for a moment.

“But we don’t have any-  _ Oh. _ Right. Got it.”

-*-

Crowley had hoped that after the angels had their awkward family reunion, his life with Aziraphale would return to normal, or maybe even take a step forward, considering the fact that they finally shared their first kiss. But especially the sudden departure of Gabriel seemed to bother Aziraphale a lot. Not that Crowley understood why. From what he had learned about Gabriel and - more importantly - the first impression he had gotten from him, he had been of the opinion that there were not many kind feelings between them. But whenever Crowley tried to point that out, he was dismissed with a distracted ‘that’s not the point’ and Aziraphale went back to quietly worrying over an archangel, that - in Crowley’s very personal opinion - didn’t even deserve a single second of Aziraphale’s attention.

After two days of watching his angel brood, Crowley decided that it was time for drastic measures. He had spent a fair amount of time on research and an even larger amount of time in the kitchen afterwards and now had successfully filled a large picnic basket with several handmade sandwiches, some more international picnic dishes and two bottles of light rosé. Picking up his basket, he went through his prepared speech in his head again. He would ask Aziraphale on a picnic, because the weather is nice, and because he just found these amazing sandwich recipes he wanted to try out, and because-... because they ki-... because he feels like it is time to step up their dating game. Yes. Perfect. No mentioning of archangels, whatsoever. Best he starts, before he sees his angels, or he’ll end up stumbling over his words again.

“Angel?”, he called from the kitchen.

“Yes, my dear?”, came the distracted reply.

“I thought, maybe, I mean if you’re free, we could, you know, have pi-AAARGH!!!”

In the living room Aziraphale blinked confused when he heard a loud crashing sound.

“A Pi-ark? My dear, are you quite alright?”

Worried, he rose from his chair and walked over to the kitchen. Standing in the threshold he took in the sight before him: A picnic basket on the floor, several sandwiches scattered on the ground, four archangels standing with solemn expressions right in the middle of a puddle of what smelled faintly of rosé and Crowley-

Crowley had turned into a six foot long snake and was tightly coiled around the gently swinging about lamp.

“We need to talk with you”, Michael said for means of a greeting.   
“Both of you”, they added with a side glance in Crowley’s direction.

Aziraphale, still somewhat confused, stepped aside and gestured for his unexpected guests to join him in the living room. As the angels sat down stiffly on his plush, decently worn furniture, Crowley finally came slinking out of the kitchen as well, taking his seat as close to Aziraphale, as possible without climbing right into his lap.

“So?”, Aziraphale asked a little clipped, “What’s so urgent, that you cannot even bother to knock, like - oh you know - decent people?”

At least Raphael had the decency to cringe at that reprimand, but Michael fell right into their report, not even deigning it with a brief apology.

“We came here, because we are in need of your expertise.”   
Aziraphale raised an eyebrow at that.   
“Both of yours”, Uriel added, with a pointed look at Crowley, who definitely did  _ not _ cringe away under their intense stare. Aziraphale raised the other eyebrow, resembling somewhat a surprised owl that way.

Michael opened their mouth to say something more, but seemed to be struggling with the words. Eventually they sighed frustrated and turned to the other archangels in need of help. Aziraphale’s eyebrows decided that it now was appropriate to draw together in a worried frown.

“We need your help in a delicate matter”, Sandalphon said carefully, “Usually we would not bother you with it, but it is of utmost importance that news of this does not make the round in Heaven.”   
“News of what”, Aziraphale asked carefully, a cold pit of worry settling uncomfortably in his stomach.

“Well, you see, the thing is-”   
“Gabriel has gone missing”, Michael interrupted, spitting out the words fast, like ripping off a bandaid. The shocked silence that followed that statement was broken by a hysteric snort. The adrenalin of having the archangels invade their home once again finally wearing off, Crowley couldn’t help but find this whole situation hilarious. Of all the things he expected them to say, this was truly the last he had expected, if at all.

“Just to make sure”, Crowley asked breathless, from trying to hold in his laughter, “You actually managed to loose the Archangel Fucking Gabriel!?”

“Crowley, please”, Aziraphale chided softly, ever the empathetic one.

“Don’t you- Can’t you guys sense each others presence, or something!?”

“He must have gone to a place, that is beyond our reach”, Uriel said gravely and that shut up Crowley more effectively than any stern look from his angel could have. the word ‘Hell’ hung like the sword of Damocles between them. Crowley instinctively looked over to Aziraphale and what he saw, nearly broke his heart. His angel’s beautiful face was twisted in worry and an unfamiliar, age old pain. In that moment Crowley knew he had lost - yet again - and would soon enough agree on helping these archangels search for their missing brethren, despite the fact that he would very much prefer it, if Gabriel would get lost once and for all. In an attempt to diffuse the tension, he forced his voice into a light-hearted tone.

“Okay, but- I mean, c’mon! It’s the archangel Gabriel! How bad can it be??? That guy’s as straightlaced, as a bloody ruler. There’s hardly a reason to be worried about-”

“Of course, we are worried for him”, Michael exclaimed offended, “Ever since your- ever since  _ certain events _ ”, they said, pulling a face, as if chewing on a lemon, “He seemed oddly unstable, almost… unhinged.”

“Not just since then.”

All eyes fell on Raphael, who had stayed silent throughout the whole conversation until just now. He met their looks with a sad expression.

“I believe, he has been suffering ever since Lucifer’s fall.”

Okay. That was news to Crowley. That doesn’t sound like the archangel Gabriel that he had the misfortune to meet. It didn’t at all fit the impression he got from the man. It’s almost as if that was a completely different-

“That idiot is blaming himself again.”

Aziraphale’s voice was oddly tense, as if it was struggling to hold back a flood of passionate emotions. There was a fire burning in the angel’s eyes, that drew Crowley in, in a terrifyingly disastrous way.

“Where have you looked for him so far.”

The sudden change in pace took not only Crowley by surprise. Michael blinked at him, as they tried to process the fact that Aziraphale so naturally took over the lead.

“We-... Heaven, naturally. We did a complete swipe of all planes and checked every Choir-”   
“Raphael send the winds to search Earth”, Uriel chimed in, with Raphael nodding affirmative.   
“I-”, Michael added hesitantly, “I even checked some… backchannels for the more… unlikely places.”   
Crowley looked confused for a moment. Then it clicked. With a gasp, that was half offended half impressed, he pointed a finger at Michael.

“ _ You have contacts in Hell!  _ I can’t believe it! Talk about hypocrisy!”   
Michael cringed at the accusation and between clenched teeth insisted: “It was all for the sake of efficiency. A plan as big as the Great Plan cannot succeed, if things aren’t efficiently timed and scheduled.”   
“Right”, the demon teased, “Keep telling yourself that.”   
“Can we please get back on track?”, Sandalphon’s voice had a sharp edge to it, he looked borderlining hysteric. Aziraphale nodded empathetically.   
“Right. So your… backchannels could not track him down either.”   
Michael shook their head: “No, but… I cannot perfectly trust their claims… for obvious reasons. That is why I was hoping, the two of you coul-”   
“That won’t be necessary”, Aziraphale put his cup of cocoa down with a determined expression, “I believe, I know where he is.”

“ _ You do!? _ ”, Crowley could barely withhold his impressed tone, because honestly    
he was at a loss right now. If the angels had already covered Heaven, Hell  _ and _ earth, he couldn’t think of any other place, that-

“Oh.”   
“Yes.”   
“But isn’t that place off-limits, since-”   
“Yes.”   
“Do you really think, he would go against direct-”   
“In this case? Absolutely.”

Sandalphon finally lost his cool. Jumping from the sofa, he tried to round the coffee table to get to Aziraphale, but was conveniently stopped by Michael’s outstretched arm.

“What do you mean”, they asked.

“Eden”, Aziraphale simply answered. A cold silence fell on the room and Crowley had to resist the urge to shiver in it. They all knew that Eden was declared off-limits since Adam and Eve had been cast out. Why, it was even the Principality Aziraphale himself, who had been tasked with enforcing the walls to ensure that nobody could enter that place again.  _ Huh. _

“But”, Uriel asked doubtfully, “How would he even have gotten in?”   
“Gabriel is resourceful, in his own ways”, Aziraphale answered vaguely and Crowley had to resist the urge to kiss his angel. That sly, old bastard!  _ Who would have guessed!? _   
Raphael shook his head defeated: “But if he truly is there, we have no means to-”   
“Let that be my worry”, Aziraphale answered, his voice suddenly oddly soft, “You get back to Heaven and make sure everything runs, as if nothing was out of place and I will go get Gabriel.”   
There were several reasons why the archangels should feel compelled to disagree with Aziraphale. The most obvious being, that he was still an angel and seeing how Eden was off limits, it meant going against direct orders to enter the place. Had Gabriel been here, that would have been exactly his argument, Crowley was oddly sure of that. But Gabriel wasn’t here. So all the other archangels turned to look to Michael for directions. They looked at Aziraphale with an unreadable expression and said: “This is not on official order, Aziraphale. So do, as you see fit, but… take care.”

Crowley probably couldn’t have looked any more surprised, if Michael had suddenly grown a second head. The way their tone softened at the end seemed so out of character. Aziraphale only nodded at that, before clapping in his hands.   
“Alright, well, I do not mean to be impolite, but we should all get a wriggle one.”

And with that the archangels were dismissed. One by one, they stood and in another blast of heavenly light they were gone and Crowley was none the wiser.

“Crowley, my dear, would it be alright, if we take your car?”   
Crowley was certain, he would soon get mental whiplash from how fast his angel kept surprising him.

“I’m coming too!?”   
“Why, yes? Unless, you don’t want to-”   
“No. Nonono, uh, I mean, of course. Sure. Get in the Bentley, angel.”

-*-

Many humans have convinced themselves that the garden Eden was a place in Heaven. That, of course was incorrect. Eden was a place on earth, made inaccessible to mankind via a complex system of gates, dead ends, glamour and several thousand years of hard work of Heaven’s propagande department. Nowadays the only remaining records of verbal road maps to The Garden are widely believed to be fairytales and folklore myths. A fact the head of said department was rightfully proud of. But not only humans have forgotten the ways. Most demons have only a vague memory and most of the lower ranking angels have never even been to that place. Even Crowley found it hard to remember. Gladly Aziraphale did not seem to have that problem.

“Turn left over there”, he said absentmindedly, pointing at a specific rock, that looked exactly like about ten other rocks they’ve passed already. Crowley turned and they both fell silent again. It wasn’t that Crowley had nothing to say. In fact he was full of questions that begged to be answered. The most pressing ones being: Why for Hell’s sake, was Aziraphale so invested in finding Gabriel of all people, that he would even dare entering Eden, against strict order from above? What was so special about that guy and why did nobody consider the possibility that he probably deserved, whatever affliction of the soul had driven him into his current absence? But something about the tense, thoughtful silence, Aziraphale had fallen into right when they left Soho, effectively tied Crowley’s tongue.   
“Right over there and then left by the overhang.”

“Gotcha.”

“He wasn’t always like that, you know?”   
“Huh?”   
Crowley chanced a glance over to his angel, but he had fallen silent again, his gaze turned inwards, as if he was reviewing a long buried memory of old.

-*-

“It’s a shame.”   
“Pardon?”   
“That the garden has to be sealed off.”

Aziraphale wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked over to his big brother. It wasn’t well known among the other angels, but Aziraphale knew first hand that Gabriel actually enjoyed garden duty quite a lot. He had a keen sense for aesthetically pleasing flower arrangements. Whenever he tended to the garden, there was always a new area that looked so much more pleasing to the eyes, than it did an hour before.

“I feel more sorry for those poor humans”, he said, picking up a rather large rock and tried to fit it into one of the last holes left in the wall.

“They went against God’s orders. They knew the consequences” Gabriel countered, his voice oddly distant.

“Yes, I know” the younger angel whined, “but was it really necessary to cast them out? I mean, poor Eve was  _ expecting _ .”   
Gabriel’s expression twisted, as if he was in serious physical pain. “Even more a reason for them to know better than to take such daring chances.”   
“Yes, but-”   
“Aziraphale”, Gabriel’s tone was sharp, warning, “Do not doubt God’s intentions.”   
“I don’t, I really do not. I was just meaning-”   
“We cannot know her reasons”, he said through clenched teeth, “Her plans for us are too grand for us to even fathom. The way’s of God’s mind are ineffable.”

It was hard to believe the sincerity of Gabriel’s words, when his face was so torn with grief. But Aziraphale dutifully fell silent, focusing again on trying to squeeze the rock in place.

“Leave it.”   
Aziraphale frowned confused.

“But… then the wall will remain unstable. Someone could rip the other rocks out-”   
“Maybe it’s another blessing in disguise.”   
“Pardon?”   
“Just… leave it. Just in case.”

-*-

“Park over there.”   
Aziraphale pointed to a seemingly random place in the desert, they’ve been driving through for the past three hours. Crowley did not like the thought of leaving his Bentley so obviously out in the open, but he did not dare complain. Not right now, at least. Once they left the car, the heat all around hit Crowley like a sledgehammer, almost like the most obvious, yet subtle warning sign: Turn around at once, or else.

“So, what now?”

“We walk.”   
“Where to?”   
“That way.”   
“Okay. Okay  _ stop.” _

Aziraphale - surprisingly - did as he was told and looked at Crowley expectantly. Which was kind of unfair, because it effectively took the wind out of Crowley’s sail. Swallowing, he tried to gather his thoughts.

“Okay, listen. You know I’m all ride or die with you, but-... but this is  _ the archangel fucking Gabriel _ . We’re effectively risking getting - oh I don’t know - divinely smitten, or something, for a guy, who spearheaded your execution! Is he  _ really _ worth all that?”   
“No.”   
“Oh. Oh  _ great _ . So, we’re just going to-”

“But he wasn’t always like that.”

Crowley made a frustrated noise, throwing his hands in the air.

“People  _ change _ angel.”   
“I  _ know _ that.”   
“Great. So can we please-?”, Crowley gestured vaguely to the Bentley, desperately hoping that Aziraphale would finally call this whole thing off and let the archangels deal with their own problems for Hell’s sake.

“I just cannot-”   
“Cannot what, angel? For Heaven’s-  _ urgh _ \- for  _ someone’s _ sake, explain it to me, angel, because I honestly don’t get it!”   
Crowley immediately regretted his words, because Aziraphale looked so lost, out there in that vast expanse of sand and heat. But now they were out and all he could do was wait and hope, that it would be worth it in the end.

“Did you know, that he taught me how to work miracles?”   
“Huh?”

-*-

“Hrrng!”   
“not like that, dummy!”, Gabriel snipped Aziraphale’s furrowed forehead, “You’ll give yourself an aneurism.”   
“What’s an anna- errr?”   
“Aneurism”, Gabriel explained patiently to the tiny Principality in his lap, “It’s when- humm - I think, you get a really bad headache.”

“I dun want that”, Aziraphale chewed on his bottom lip, pouting defeated.   
“It’s alright. Just don’t try to force it. Working a miracle is gentle business. You don’t order reality to bend to your will. You convince it, that it’s for the best to go with your suggestion.”

“I don’t understand~”, Aziraphale whined.

“Here, let me show you again.”   
Gabriel reached out and gently tapped a finger against the closed bud of some flower nearby. In an instant, the blossom unfurled it’s vibrant leaves, emanating a sweat, heady scent into the air around them.

“Ohhhh”, Aziraphale cooed excited, clapping his tiny, pudgy hands.

-*-

Crowley watched Aziraphale’s face, as he was retelling stories of old. On one hand, he was amazed, that the angel still remembered things that happened so far back, it almost seemed like a dream nowadays. On the other hand, his heart broke over the realisation that those memories of a softer,  _ kinder _ Gabriel must mean so much to his angel. The demon quietly resolved himself to talking some fucking sense into that asshole, once they found him. How dare he disappoint his angels hopes and dreams like that and then fuck off to fucking Eden, when Aziraphale had finally begun to get over it!?  _ Fucking wanker. _

“So”, Crowley said, a bit too moody for his own liking, “Gabriel was once a nice fella. Big deal. Doesn’t mean, he deserves you worrying yourself sick over him like this now, though.”   
Aziraphale gave him an indulgent smile and Crowley quietly put ‘punch him in the fucking throat’ on his to-do list for when they find Gabriel.

“I  _ know _ he changed”, Aziraphale said patiently, “And not just yesterday. In fact, I feel inclined to agree with Raphael’s observation. After the whole business of the Fall, he changed a lot. He was more… distant. But not unkind, you see? He always gave praise, where praise was due. He even put in a good word to get me promoted, once.”   
Crowley, pulled a face at that.   
“I  _ know _ , angel. I was there, remember? I pulled that pranked that got him convinced, you’re still needed on earth.”

Aziraphale nodded thoughtfully.

“You know, I think, he knew I wouldn’t take well to the whole Armageddon business.”   
“Huh?”   
“I think-... Yes, I think, that is why he wanted to get me promoted back to Heaven so badly. To have me out of the crossfire, when - you know - the cake hits the fan.”   
“Shit.”   
“Oh Crowley,  _ please _ .”   
“No, angel. It goes ‘when the  _ shit _ hits the fan’.”   
“Ah. That is rather crude though isn’t it?”   
Crowley sighed. So, Gabriel wanted to keep Aziraphale out of it all. Okay, that was kinda thoughtful of him, but still. He still did try-.   
“I think”, Aziraphale said, with a sudden hardness to his expression, that frightened Crowley more than any of the archangels have ever managed to do, “I think, someone needs to smack some sense into the old chum.”   
Crowley did not know, what to reply to that. In parts because his brain was just having a hysteric breakdown over the mental image of sweet, gentle Aziraphale smacking the Archangel Fucking Gabriel around the curb.

“There it is”, the angel suddenly exclaimed.   
“Where is what?”   
Crowley saw nothing but more sand and some rather weather-worn stone lying amidst it. Aziraphale just smiled at him, picked the stone up and moved it about three inches to the side.

Suddenly the imposing walls of Eden manifested in the heated air, like some kind of Fata Morgana. Crowley gaped at the sheer massive wall of sandstone before him. He didn’t remember the walls being that  _ tall _ . Where Aziraphale was standing, there was a hole in the wall, that was just high enough that he could slip in with his head ducked.

“Okay. So what now? We go in, snatch Gabriel and-”   
“Oh no, my dear.  _ I _ go in. You stay here.”   
“Wha- why- What for!?”

“To make sure, nobody else gets in, of course.”   
“We’re in the middle of bumfuck  _ nowhere _ , angel! There is nobody  _ here _ , but us.”   
“I know”, Aziraphale said firmly, “Still. This is important. When I get Gabriel out, I will seal this place up again. Can’t have some poor, unsuspecting human trapped inside then.”

Crowley threw his arms in the air, in a gesture of defeat.

“Ugh,  _ fine _ . But hurry up. I’m getting cooked in my own skin out here.”

Aziraphale offered him a grateful smile, before he slipped into the green darkness behind the hole. And suddenly Crowley was alone again.

-*-

Eden looked just like one would expect a great natural park to look, after 6000 years of complete neglect. The formerly well-tread paths were completely overgrown. Vines and thick underbrush made it hard to get forward at all. And still, despite it all, there were still signs of a caring hand here and there. A small, circular area cleared around a rosebush, to protect it from getting choked to death by the surrounding plants, a basket full of freshly picked peaches leaning against a tree, dead leaf litter collected in small heaps around a wildly grown orchard. Aziraphale purposefully followed the trail of care, knowing full well what he would find at the end of it.

-*-

“Why are you plucking the fruits, Gabriel?” Aziraphale watched his big brother curiously, while sucking on a thumb.

“They are getting to heavy for the small tree. See, how its branches are already bending almost all the way to the ground? This tree is still too young to carry such a heavy weight. So, it is my responsibility to ease it’s load a bit.”   
“Huh. And the leaves?” Aziraphale pointed at a heap of dead leaflitter, that Gabriel had brushed together just moments earlier.   
“These leaves are dead. Soon they will start to rot and turn into fertile ground, which is good for the plants to grow. But if it rots too close to the trees roots, the rot might get into the tree and kill it from the inside out. So it is my duty, to protect the tree from the harm of all the dead leaves, it loses over the time of its growth.”

“Huh.”

-*-

Aziraphale came by a bunch of cut up vines, a juvenile fawn was lying nearby, licking its wounds.

-*-

“Why are we helping these animals? Shouldn’t they grow on their own?” Aziraphale struggled to keep the tiny rabbit in his arms still, while Gabriel carefully cut loose the thorny vine, that had wrapped itself around the fluffy legs.

“Yes, that is true. But this rabbit was helpless in its situation, Aziraphale. Most of the challenges they face in their live, they have the means to overcome by themselves. But when we find one, that is absolutely helpless, it is important to show kindness and offer feasible help.”

“Huh.”

-*-

Finally he found him. Gabriel was crouching on top of a small hill, tearing out poison ivy among a field of delicate poppies, standing still in the absence of any wind. His blazer, shirt and tie were hung over the branch of a nearby tree. He had not tuned out his body’s natural responses. So the sweat of hours long physical labor was glistening on his slightly sunburnt arms, mixed with the dirt from the soil. Why, all he was missing was a slightly torn straw hat and he would have looked like some romantic artist’s vision of a summer field worker.

“Pretty selfish of you”, Aziraphale said by way of greeting, as he approached the archangel, “To hide in the one place, you know, Michael would not dare looking for you.”

Gabriel flinched guiltily, but otherwise showed no sign of acknowledging Aziraphale’s presence. He just quietly continued to work inch by inch through the poppy field. Aziraphale sighed.

“You got everyone quite worried, you know”, he said facing Gabriel’s sweaty back, “They were even willing to ask Crowley for help, so desperate was Michael to find you.”

Gabriel had found a rather deep-rooted branch of ivy. He grabbed it with both hands and tore at it, the muscles in his upper arms straining from the effort. So he wouldn’t even use his angelic superiority. Was he really that desperate to punish himself?   
Aziraphale sighed again and crouched down to touch a leave of the ivy.

_ My dear _ , his eternal soul whispered to the plant,  _ I’m trying to have an important conversation here and this stubborn oaf of an archangel is making it really hard. If you would be so kind and let go, so he is forced to finally face me, that would be most darling of you. _

With a satisfying sound the plant tore from the ground, root by root, causing Gabriel to topple backwards from the momentum of his own pull. Laying flat on the ground among the delicate poppy, the archangel finally chanced a glance up at Aziraphale’s face. The principality looked down at him with an expression of endless grief.

“You cannot just leave Heaven”, he chided his older brother, “Not without telling anyone, where you go. You know, how easily Michael worries. Let’s get you back and-”

“ _ I tried to kill you!” _ , Gabriel exclaimed, not wanting to bear the never-ending kindness of Aziraphale any longer.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic”, he countered, baffling Gabriel with his vehement dismissal.

“You’re acting, as if I was not aware of the consequences. I’m a fucking principality, for Heaven’s sake. If you might have forgotten, I was  _ created _ for the purpose of fighting in a war. And - incidentally - war usually comes with a fair amount of killing. I knew, what I bargained for and I expected no less from Heaven, as punishment for my disobedience. Still”, Aziraphale’s face grew soft, looking at Gabriel with the kind of warm resolution, that was akin to a mother resolving to do everything for her newborn child’s sake, “I felt it was well worth a price to pay.”

Gabriel remained silence, the freshly upturned soil underneath him, cool against his heated skin.

“Why?”, he finally asked.   
“As I said, everyone’s worried for you and-”   
“No!”, Gabriel cringed at the harshness in his own voice. He sat up, brushing the dirt from his hair in a gesture of frustration.

“I do not mean  _ that _ . Why do you- Why did you choose those humans over us?”   
“I did not-”   
“You disobeyed direct orders, Aziraphale.”   
“Yes. Because I decided that those orders were  _ stupid _ … with all due respect.”   
Gabriel looked at the younger angel incredulous.

“Stupid?”

“Yes, well. Not in the - uh - not very clever kind of sense, of course. It was a very clever plan indeed. Very well thought through, tactical and all-”   
“ _ Aziraphale. _ ”

“It just wasn’t  _ fair _ ”, the angel finally admitted with a pouty whine in his voice.   
Usually this would have been the point, where Gabriel, or one of the other archangels would have shut him down, by reminding him not to doubt God’s intentions. This time, however, Gabriel was just looking at Aziraphale with an unreadable expression.

“Explain”, he said simply.

Aziraphale huffed and sat down in the dirt infront of his superior. Gesturing helplessly with his hands, he tried his best to share his innermost thoughts with Gabriel.

“It’s not that I’m doubting God’s intentions. It really is not. It’s just-”, he sighed, “You- you were all so eager for this war to come. You were all so fatalistic, as if- as if mankind just didn’t have a choice to give into the end of all things.  _ Just like that _ . Nobody wanted to help them, you see. All just thought about the Great War at the end of it all, getting themselves geared and ready to fight demons. And - I mean- I  _ understand _ . It’s what we’re meant for, right? The final victory and all, but… It just did not feel fair to the humans. All their achievements, all their cultures, their hopes and dreams, their mundane little places of happiness… it would be all gone and nobody would be there to preserve it. I just couldn’t  _ not _ try and protect it all, you see?”

Gabriel looked down, staring at the dirt underneath his well manicured fingernails.

“I see”, his voice sounded so far away, it frightened Aziraphale. He put on a cheerful smile to break whatever spell Gabriel was under and scrambled to his feet again.. Dusting off the bottom of his pants, he said busilly: “Yes well, that’s neither here nor there anyways. Let’s get out of here already. I left poor Crowley in the unforgiving desert sun. And gingers burn so easily, you know?”

“You went against direct orders, just to be kind instead.”   
“Yes well, as I said-”   
“Let me finish!”, something in Gabriel’s tone had changed, it was firm with determination, but there was something underneath it, a desperate hitch at the end of his sentence, that compelled Aziraphale to stay quiet. He folded his hands infront of his belly and shifted his stance, looking at Gabriel expectantly.

“You- you choose the kindness and love from which you had been created over the harshness of the inevitable. Your actions were - as they have always been - praiseworthy, Aziraphale, kindest of your kind.”   
Aziraphale shifted uncomfortably. While it was true that Gabriel, as a superior, always was easy with praise, his praise - in the most recent years - had a notorious habit of always coming in pair with unpleasant news. But instead of telling Aziraphale, how futile his actions were, Gabriel rose to his feet as well. With a snap of his fingers the dirt and sweat from his hard work vanished and he was once more dressed impeccably head to toe.

“You acted, just as it should be expected from an angel of Her Grace. And I rewarded you for that with an execution.”

“Well, an example had to be-”   
“No. You- You  _ were _ the example and I just didn’t understand.”   
“I-I’m afraid, I cannot follow.”   
“When Metatron told me of the inevitably of this war, I was so sure-  _ so sure _ , I had to get you away from earth. I  _ knew _ it would break your heart to let go of all these creatures big and small. Never did it occur to me, that as a being made from the purest love, you would find a strength in that heartbreak, so big, it changed the inevitable.”   
“Well, I mean, I did have help with that. Crowley and the young Adam-”

“When Metatron said, you must be punished for your action, I found it unfair too, but-”   
“Wait a tick, Metatron said what now?”

Gabriel twitched away, surprised at the hardness in Aziraphale’s voice.   
“He, well- When I asked him, what to do about the messed up Armageddon, he-”   
“All this time, I thought it was  _ your _ decision.”   
Gabriel blinked confused.   
“Well, in the end it was my decision to-”   
“No. No that’s not what I mean. Of course I  _ know _ , you could have chosen to just say ‘no’ to it. But… can’t you see it?”   
Gabriel apparently couldn’t because he looked about as lost, as one could get on a perfect day in Garden Eden.

“Well… I have been wondering about this ever since, you know, I talked to Metatron.”   
“ _ You did _ ”, Gabriel’s voice took on a hysteric edge. He was close to a panic attack. This whole situation was getting so off track from what he had expected, that he did not know, how to react to it.

“Yes, well, when I realized that I wouldn’t get any help from Heaven in preventing the War, I decided to - uhm - talk with a higher authority. I  _ meant _ to talk with God. But you know how things are.”   
“Talking with Metatron, is like talking with God”, Gabriel repeated the universal knowledge, easily.

“Yes, that” Aziraphale said distractedly, his hyperactive mind already too focused on the trail it had picked up, “You see, it has always bothered me ever since. Why did Metatron say, the war was inevitable, when… it wasn’t?”

Gabriel felt sweat break out on his skin, but this was the wrong kind of sweat. It wasn’t born from honest, hard work. it was the kind of thin layer of uncomfortable dampness, one experienced, when they felt the ground under their feet break away.

“Are you- are you insinuating… that Metatron lied?”   
Aziraphale looked at Gabriel surprised. The silence of the sleeping garden suddenly feeling almost deafening in its absoluteness.

“But… but that is not possible, right? Unless-”

Aziraphale’s face lit up, the way it always did, when he finally figured out the solution to a particularly complicated riddle.

“Unless Metatron didn’t know any better, himself.”   
“But- but he is the voice of God! Talking to him is-”   
“Like talking to God, yes. But Gabriel. There is a difference there, isn’t it? Between it being  _ like _ talking to God and it being  _ actually _ talking to God. It’s not a big one, I admit that, but it is  _ there.” _ __   
“So the inevitability of Armageddon is not to be considered definite, because God is infallible and she wouldn’t have told us, something is inevitable, if it truly wasn’t.”   
“Right, right.  __ Yes .”

Gabriel looked at Aziraphale, as if he had just seen the dawn of light for the first time ever.

“Then… what am I to do now?”   
Aziraphale blinked confused, momentarily thrown of track.

“Pardon, what?”   
“If what Metatron told me, is not- is not my destiny, that what am I working with?”

Aziraphale tutted.

“You’re an  _ angel _ Gabriel. You  _ know _ your mission. What- what were you created for?”   
Gabriel looked around himself. Slowly, hesitantly he gestured at the vast field of still poppies and the rolling hills behind them, at the lush forest beneath and the glistening band of the river dividing the garden evenly.

“This”, he said, “I am the messenger of God. I was created to bring the word of God to Her creation.”   
Aziraphale smiled indulgently.   
“And what is Her word?”   
“Love.”   
Aziraphale nodded.

“There you have it then. I’m sure, you can work out the rest with the others. Speaking off, we really should get a wriggle on. Poor Crowley will probably be burned all red by now.”

With that he turned around, about to leave for the entrance again.

“Aziraphale”, Gabriel’s voice made him stop and turn around inquisitive.

“I- You have come all the way here to remind me, of what I’m meant to do. Thank you.”   
“Ah well, that was just-”   
“Also”, Gabriel interrupted pointedly, “All this time, you have acted in an exemplary manner, have always used the kindness of your heart as guide of your decisions. I should have been an example to you. Instead, I chose duty over kindness.”   
“Well, you had a lot of responsibility-”, Aziraphale began to reason.

“In a moment, where love compelled me to say ‘no’ I chose duty instead and accepted the possibility of your death for it. For that, I am truly, deeply sorry.”

Aziraphale stared at Gabriel open-mouthed, momentarily shocked into silence. Then, as if the clouds lifted from the sky, a smile so bright and warm, it was almost blinding spread over his face.

“I forgive you”, he said and for the first time in 6000 years a cool breeze blew through the garden, gently shaking the slumbering poppies awake, almost as if God herself breathed a sigh of relief.

-*-

Crowley shifted his feet uncomfortably. The midday heat was unbearable and judging by the feeling of tightness on his face he probably had a nasty sunburn already. Not for the first time he considered following Aziraphale into the garden. The only reason he didn’t, was that Airaphale had  _ insisted _ he stay behind to guard the entrance. Seriously, what kind of angel trusted a demon with such an important task? What if he felt particularly mischievous today? His angel clearly was too trusting for his own good. He should just-

The sound of delighted laughter, interrupted Crowley’s inner complaints. He looked to the opening in the wall just in time to see Aziraphale emerging, followed shortly by Gabriel, who was the actual source of the laughter.

“And then- as if we weren’t just having a very serious conversation, he suddenly yelled ‘Ducks! That’s what water slides off!’, startling the living daylights out of me.”   
Gabriel clapped his hands, laughing even more.

“That is perfect! Absolutely horrible timing!”

Crowley grumbled. Oh, now they get along all chummy. Wonderful. So much for his plans to punch the living heck out of Gabriel.

“Oh great”, he said unimpressed, “You finally found him. Can we go now, angel?”

Not waiting for Aziraphale’s answer, he turned into the direction of his Bentley.

“Will you marry him?”, Gabriel suddenly asked, causing Crowley to stumble over absolutely nothing. Aziraphale squawked flustered.

“I- wuu- what? We- we only just  _ kissed _ , Gabriel!”   
Crowley chanced a glance over his shoulder and wasn’t that the most endearing blush, he had ever seen on his angel’s pretty cheeks?

“Besides, marriage is a ritual created by humans. Why should we engage in such-”   
“Yes, yes I know”, Gabriel answered defensively, “It’s just-”   
Crowley threw his hands in the air.   
“Don’t tell me, it’s another one of those very important things, you read in a romance novel once.”

“Well”, Gabriel, at least had the decency to look embarrassed, “It’s not that important, I admit, but-... I read in many cultures it is the duty of the father, or another important older family member to walk the bride to the altar. And well. I  _ know _ God is not going to do that, but I thought, maybe the oldest brother would… suffice?”   
Aziraphale’s eyes grew wide when he realized what Gabriel was actually asking. He turned and exposed Crowley rather unexpectedly to the full extent of the combined force of his and Gabriel’s pleading eyes. And, for Heaven’s sake, Crowley was only a simple demon, okay!? How was he supposed to stand his ground against that!?

“Alright, fine”, he said defeated, “I guess, we can get married, angel.”

So much for his plans of a grand proposal. When he saw both their faces light up, like bloody flashlights in a concert, he hurried to clarify: “But I’m not gonna invite my kind. If you want them present, you gotta write those invites yourself, angel!”   
“Quite alright!”, Aziraphale answered cheerfully and Crowley got the vague feeling, as if he didn’t quite succeed in making his point clear. 

_ Oh well _ , he thought, glancing at the happily humming angel at his side, as he drove them both back to London, while taking some rather unorthodox shortcuts over the ocean,  _ I guess, it could be worse. _

-*-

“Are you sure, you cannot stay for at least a cup of tea?”, Aziraphale asked a little disappointed.

Gabriel shook his head firmly and Crowley quietly wondered, how he managed to even stay firm for a solid minute in the presence of Aziraphale’s pleading eyes.

“I am terribly sorry, but duty calls. There is… some calls I have to make.”   
“Calls?”, Crowley asked curiously.   
“Yes”, Gabriel replied, his expression grim. And Crowley felt cold dread seize his guts.   
“Oi! You’re not gonna plan another Armageddon already, do you!?”   
“No, no”, Gabriel hurried to assure, “None of that. But… certain people need to be reminded of their actual duties. And I have been too lax in that, for far too long.”   
“Be careful”, Aziraphale cautioned, “We still don’t know, why things turned out the way they did.”   
Crowley grew more and more confused, looking between them, as if he was watching a tennis match.

“Whatever are you two waffling about!?”   
“Don’t worry”, Gabriel said with a confident smile, before he turned to Crowley. Clasping the suddenly very terrified demon on the shoulders, he took on a solemn expression.

“W-what!?”, Crowley squeaked, only barely resisting the urge to shift into a snake in order slither out of this situation.

“Thank you”, Gabriel said and Crowley was near certain, his head might explode from this sudden change in events.

“Whatever for!?”   
“For loving Aziraphale, even when I failed to show, that I do. Please continue to love him, as you do.”   
“...that’s the plan”, Crowley muttered, thoroughly confused.

The last he saw, was Gabriel’s grateful smile and then the archangel vanished in a flash of light.

“Is he gone?”, Crowley squeaked, with his eyes tightly shut.

“Yes, my dear”, Aziraphale’s vaguely amused voice assured him.

Sighing relieved, he shifted into his snake form, quite literally in a poof and slithered up his angels warm body to coil up in his arms into a tight ball of terrified danger noodle.

“Your family isssss weird, angel”, Crowley hissed softly.   
“I know”, Aziraphale answered, gently carrying his beloved bundle over to the sofa.

“What’sss gonna happen nekssst?”   
“We can only wait and see.”   
“Great.”

-*-

Michael blinked surprised, when Gabriel appeared in their office. Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but they shooshed him with a raised finger. Pressing a button on their intercom, they waited until Uriel’s voice answered ‘yes?’.

“Gather the other others. He is in my office.”

-*-

It took Gabriel several attempts, before he could finally successfully extract himself from the suffocating heap of feathers and crying archangels, that his welcoming group hug had turned into. When everyone had finally calmed down and he had the undivided attention of his brethren again, he said to Michael: “Arrange for a meeting asap. I have some important matters to discuss.”   
“Certainly. Who should I invite to this meeting?”

“Metatron.”   
“Excuse me.”   
“You will invite Metatron.  _ Just _ Metatron.”


End file.
